Is the Black Death going on around the world? The network remembered the frightening prophecy of Vanga
The death of a 28-year-old woman in the Irkutsk region became the reason for the publication of British tabloids about a new deadly disease allegedly predicted by Vanga. In the media and social networks again talking about the “black death”, which allegedly could spread from Siberia around the world.
Interest in the story was heated by the British newspaper Daily Star, which linked reports of a possible outbreak of a dangerous disease with the prophecies attributed to the Bulgarian seer. The publications claim that the ancient pathogen is allegedly able to get out of the frozen state and lead to a global epidemic, and survivors of her people will receive unusual abilities.
The reason for the discussions was the death of a 28-year-old woman who died on the night of October 2 in the Shelekhov district hospital. According to information from initial publications, the patient came with symptoms of severe lung disease. Additional attention was drawn to the fact that she worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, but in itself this circumstance does not prove infection with a dangerous pathogen in the workplace.
After the incident, inspections, isolation measures and monitoring of contact persons were organized in the region. Against the background of these actions in social networks began to spread messages about the alleged identified pneumonic plague. At the same time, rumors and assumptions of users do not replace the official results of laboratory studies and epidemiological investigations.
Later, a version appeared on the Internet that an employee of the institute broke a test tube with a plague bacterium, inhaled the pathogen and became infected. However, the material provided does not confirm this story. Work with especially dangerous microorganisms involves special measures of biological protection, and the circumstances of a possible incident should be established by specialized specialists.
The story quickly moved beyond Russian social networks and attracted the attention of foreign publications. Some British tabloids have linked reports of the woman's death to Vanga's alleged prophecy of an ancient disease that would purportedly destroy parts of humanity. Then other information platforms began to retell this version, including in the Baltic States and Ukraine.
In such publications, real events, unconfirmed assumptions and mystical explanations often appear in the same narrative. Because of this, it may seem to the reader that there is an established connection between the death of an employee of the institute, a possible infection and a prediction. But the coincidence of events and high-profile headlines alone do not prove such a connection.
How dangerous is the plague
Plague is a real infectious disease caused by Yersinia pestis. It can occur in various forms, including in the pulmonary, which without timely treatment poses a serious threat to life.
The mere fact that there is a suspicion of infection does not mean that the region is threatened by a large-scale epidemic. The risk assessment depends on the confirmation of the diagnosis, the circumstances of the infection, the results of the examination of contact persons and other epidemiological data.
Historical plague epidemics have caused enormous human losses, but their causes and conditions cannot be directly transferred to the current situation. Today, laboratory diagnostics, sanitary and epidemiological surveillance, isolation, if necessary, and antibiotic treatment are used.
